I participated in a two-week volunteer program at Eben-Ezer University of Minembwe (DRC) in July 2015 where I taught English classes at advanced and beginner levels for the community and led out in women’s rights/global health workshops. On a personal note, I gained a new perspective here on what is possible in low-resource settings: the community seemed tightly involved with the university and I can’t impress enough the pride they took in its growth and achievement. I also was deeply moved by their active role in advancing education and community health, even taking on projects to restore native ecology, to a region wounded by past conflict. In summary, I see Eben-Ezer University as being a potential “grassroots model” of a dynamic relationship between a university and its surrounding rural community, and believe investment in its future will be crucial for development of this region.

Currently I’m a third-year American medical student at the Medical School for International Health/Columbia University (MSIH), NYMSIH), and in the future I aspire to return to Minembwe to assist in any way possible to their continued success.

Welcome Humphrey Fellow Lazare Sebitereko Rukundwa to the Schar School

The Schar School is Dr. Rukundwa’s last stop after spending time at Cornell University and Penn State University. His intention is to learn best-practices in higher education leadership and administration to replicate in his home country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Read more

Ebola has killed 19 people and infected 39 more in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last month. Despite this being the ninth time the deadly virus has struck the region since it was identified in 1976, the fear is rising again that another devastating outbreak could kill thousands. Read More

University History

Is a higher learning institution (University) based in highlands of Minembwe, South Kivu Province. Created in 2000 and accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education and Universities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), under ministerial decree as a college. It was a credited as a private university in 2011 under Ministerial decree. The university is an undergraduate program with 4 Faculties.

The word of the President and Rector

Welcome to Eben-Ezer University of Minembwe (UEMI).

When we started went around sharing the vision of having the university in rural Minembwe region, many people including close friends, they said “it is too remote, less accessible, there are no infrastructures….”. Others told me politely “it is a good vision….but, not viable at the moment”. Yet people were very direct and told me that it is impossible. With few friends and colleagues who believed in this dream, we almost said in our prayers, God “give us that task”! Years down on this difficult path, the vision is taking shape while the grassland is filled with life. Hundreds of young people, boy and girls, adults and old are making their daily journeys to share knowledge.

Commitment to transform rural communities through education is a high calling, a determination to change the status of poverty, ignorance and tribal conflict that have landlocked people form many years. University education in Minembwe involves unmeasurable sacrifices of dedicated people who dare to challenge harsh environment. Some have lost their lives in pursuit of peace, education and spiritual renewal for the region.

UEMI leadership believes that the university is the catalyst of sustainable rural development, and it is working with its faculty, staff, communities and local partners to ensure that its 2025 vision of high quality education in rural setting is achieved. It is a journey of discovery, sharing, growth and celebration.

The university's vision is to build local communities by providing required resources for knowledge production and sharing of cultural values; to produce graduates who are academically competent and whose skills are relevant to local context to instill transformative message. The knowledge production is participative and collective task, whereby local and external partners are equally invited to take part.

Challenges are enormous, not to discourage us, but to serve as opportunities to make this rural and remote village an integral part of the global knowledge development. There is no remote place for an impactful service with love. You are invited to join forces with us to make this dream a reality.

Dr. Rukundwa Sebitereko Lazare

President and Rector of Eben-Ezer University of Minembwe, DRCHumphrey Fellow, Penn State University, College of Education, USA